Safety closure cap for containers



A ril 12, 1966 w. F. HIRSCH SAFETY CLOSURE CAP FOR CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed NOV. 23, 1964 w M B INVENTOR. WALTER FT HIRscH BY g H.S U M-;c1i

ATTORNEY A ril 12, 1966 w. F. HIRSCH SAFETY CLOSURE CAP FOR CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 23, 1964 INVENTOR. i WALTER F. HIRSCH BY 8W, H- SM I I'll 'IIIII I I ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,245,564 SAFETY CLOSURE CAP FOR CONTAINERS Walter F. Hirsch, 6721 SW. 26th St., Miami, Fla. Filed Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,114 13 Claims. (Cl. 215-9) This application is a continuation-in-part of Serial No. 337,653, filed January 14, 1964.

My invention relates generally to sealing devices for containers and is directed particularly to improvements in closure caps of the type requiring some unlocking act in addition to removal of the cap before the container becomes opened for pouring or otherwise dispensing the contents. Such closure caps have particular application for sealing the contents of injurious and poisonous household products such as insecticides, weed killers, cleaning chemicals, medicines and the like that are a potential source of injury and poisoning, especially if left within reach of infants and young children.

In my patent application Serial No. 337,653, filed January 14, 1964 there is described a safety seal for liquid containers wherein a screw cap, after being removed from the container, must be used as a key to open a safety seal valve in the neck of the container before the container becomes opened for dispensing the contents. The present invention is directed to a novel and improved form of such a safety seal closure cap mechanism.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a safety closure cap of the character described that, when opened, provides a large opening in the container pouring neck, and which is therefore well suited for use with products in granular, powder, pellet or other solid form, as well as being suitable for use with fluids.

It is a more particular object to provide a safety closure cap for screw-cap containers including a safety seal valve receivable within the neck of a container and having a rotary disc valve movable between open and closed positions, the rotary disc valve member being formed with circularly-arranged teeth engageable with a first set of circularly-arranged teeth on the inside of the closure cap for closing the valve when the cap is screwed on the container, and a second set of teeth on the outside of the closure cap for opening the valve when the cap is applied to the valve in inverted position and turned in the unscrewing direction.

Still another object is to provide a safety closure cap of the character described including a sinuous, annular, resilient diaphragm integrally formed between the cap 'body and the teeth sets on the closure cap, the first set of teeth on the closure cap being of such shape with respect to the teeth of the valve disc member as to be thrust outwardly therefrom when the closure cap is turned beyond the closed position of the valve disc in screwing the cap on the container, and the diaphragm being of such configuration -and resiliency as to act as a toggle with two positions of stability moving under the force of said thrust from one position to the other to fully remove the first set of teeth from engagement with said disc member teeth.

Still another object is to provide a safety closure cap of the above nature that can be applied to ordinary screw-cap bottles and cans as presently manufactured, whether of glass, metal, plastic or cardboard materials, and which comprises a minimum of parts, all of which can be produced inexpensively of synthetic plastic materials by the use of injection molding techniques.

Yet another object is to provide a safety closure cap which will be simple to install, inconspicuous in appearance, and durable and efiective in use.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational cross-section of a bottle neck with a safety closure cap embodying the invention fitted thereon in closed or sealing and capping relation;

FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-section as in FIG. 1, but showing the cap member removed from the bottle neck;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the cap member, shown separately;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the safety closure cap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the use of the cap member in inverted position as a key for opening the safety seal valve in the neck of a bottle, the valve being shown in open position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the valve opening teeth on the cap member and the teeth on the valve disc, shown out of engagement;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but showing the teeth sets interengaged for use of the cap member in rotatively opening the safety seal valve;

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 5, showing the safety seal valve in open position;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to that of FIG. 8, but showing the safety seal valve in closed position; and

FIG. 10 illustrates, in vertical cross-section, a modifi-- cation of the invention for use with non-threaded containers.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 5 designates .a screw cap bottle (partially shown) having an externally-threaded neck 11 within which is press-fitted a safety seal valve member 12 forming part of the invention. A screw cap member 13, also forming part of the invention is provided for closing off the bottle neck 11 when not in use, as shown in FIG. 1, said screw cap member having means for actuating the safety seal valve member 12 as is hereinbelow described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 8 and 9, the safety seal valve member 12 comprises a generally cylindrical valve body member 14, which is preferably molded of a resilient synthetic plastic material, having a tubular outer wall portion 15 the upper end of which is formed with a short, outwardly-extending annular flange portion 16, and the lower end of which is integrally formed with a short, angularly inwardly-extending annular wall portion 17. The outer end of the wall portion 17 is integrally formed with an angularly inward-1y and upwardly-extending annular wall portion 18 which merges with a short, coaxial, tubular wall portion 20. The inner end of the tubular wall portion 20 extends into a coaxial, tubular, interior wall portion 2 1 of slightly reduced diameter to define an annulatr exterior shoulder 22 with said tubular wall portion 20. As illustrated in FIGS. 5, 8 and 9 the tubular interior wall portion 21 is formed at one side near its lower end, with a rectangular stop member 23 just above which, and forward thereof (in the clockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 8 and 9) there is provided a rounded detent projection 24.

The upper end of the interior wall portion 21 of the valve body member 14 is formed, at the same side as that of the stop member 23, with an end wall 25 somewhat greater than a semi-circle in size, leaving a segmental top end opening 26. The top surface of the end wall 25 is preferably perfectly fiat and held in shape by three triangular webs 27, 28 and 29 integrally formed between the underside of said end wall and the inside of the wall portions 20 and 21.

Means is provided for selectively opening and closing the segmental opening 26 at the top of the interior wall portion 21 of the valve body member 14. To this end, there is provided a rotary disc valve member 31) of tubular shape having a downwardly-extending tubular wall portion 31 of such internal diameter as to fit slidingly over the outside of the interior wall portion 21. The rotary disc valve member is integrally formed with a central, transverse wall portion 32 which seats down upon the upper end of the interior wall portion 2 1 and its end wall 25, said rotary disc valve member being held in place by means of an annular groove 33 formed in the interior of the tubular wall portion 31 being in engagement with an annular bead 34 formed in the outer wall surface of said interior wall portion. The central transverse wall portion 32 of the rotary disc member 30 is formed with spaced teeth 35 arranged in a circle about the periphery thereof, said teeth being trapezoidal in shape to provide substantially rectangular lower end portions 36 and triangular upper end portions 37 of decreasing size in the clockwise direction or from left to right as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. The central transverse wall portion 32 is also formed with a central upstanding cylindrical boss 38, for the purpose hereinafter appearing, and a segmental opening 39 of substantially the same size and shape as the segmental opening 26 in the valve body member 14. The rotary disc valve member 30 is also integrally formed with a tubular upper wall portion 40 coextensive with the outside of the flange portion 16 of the body member 14, the inner peripheral edge of which is chamferred, as indicated at 41, to fiacilitate insertion of the screw cap member 13, as is hereinafter described. As is best seen in FIGS. 5, 8 and 9, the lower or outer end of the tubular wall portion 31 of the rotary disc valve member 30 is stepped to provide a wall recess 42 of slightly greater than 180 degrees extent defining a pair of opposed shoulders 43, 4 4- which abut against respective sides of the rectangular stop member 23 when said valve member is rotated approximately 180 circular degrees in one direction or the other with respect to the valve body member 14, thereby serving to limit the rotation of said valve member at fully open (as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8) and fully closed (as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 9) positions. Yieldable means is provided for holding the safety seal valve member in closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 1, whereat the segmental top opening 26 in the valve body member 14 is covered by the central transverse wall portion 32 of the rotary disc valve member 30. To this end, the tubular wall portion 31 of the rotary disc valve member 30 is provided with an interior concavity 45 in spaced relation to the shoulder 44 thereof and in register with the detent projection 24 on the valve body member 14, said concavity being so positioned as to receive said projection when said rotary disc valve member is turned to its closed limit position. The interior vertical edge of the shoulder 44 is preferably chamferred, as indicated at 46, to facilitate movement of said shoulder past the detent projection 24 in its detent action.

The screw cap member 13, which is also integrally molded of a synthetic plastic material such as polyalomer, has an internally-threaded skirt portion 47 for screw-on fit upon the bottle neck 11, an annular end wall portion 4 8, the underside of which is preferably formed with short, concentric, annular projections 49 arranged to seat against and seal the outside of the flange portion 16 of the valve body member 14, and a relatively thin annular diaphragm portion 50 of sinuous cross-sectional shape, the inner periphery of which joins, at a central position therealong, a tubular, concentrically-arranged key member 51, the outer diameter of which is such as to fit slidingly within the tubular upper wall portion 40 of the rotary disc valve member 30. The interior end portion 52 of the tubular key member 51 is formed in its peripheral outer extremity with triangular teeth 53 having perpendicular trailing edges 54 in their progression in the clockwise direction. The exterior end portion of the key member 51 is formed about its outer periphery with spaced rectangular slots 55 defining therebctween rectangular teeth 56' (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 6) engagable with the teeth 35 of the rotary disc valve member 36, as illustrated in FIG. 6. A transverse circularly accordian-pleated flexible diaphragm 57 is integrally formed within the tubular key member 51, near the exterior end portion thereof, said diaphragm having a central circular recess 58 :for seating the upper end of the cylindrical boss 38, as is hereinafter described.

In use, closure of the safety seal valve member is effected automatically upon threading the screw cap 13 down on the container neck 11. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1, upon placement of the screw cap in position on the container neck, the triangular teeth 53 of the key member 51 will mesh with the spaced teeth 35 of the rotary disc valve member 39, with perpendicular edge portions of said teeth being in face-to-face relation. Upon screwing down the screw cap 13, the rotary disc valve member will therefore also be turned clockwisely from its open position, as illustrated in FIG. 5, to its closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Since the safety seal valve will close in approximately one-half turn, which will be considerably less than required for screwing down the screw cap 13 against the annular flange 16, the additional turning force applied to the interengaged resilient teeth 53 and 35 will bend them sufficiently to impart an axial force component to the teeth 53 to move the key member 51 upwardly, as represented by the broken line position thereof in FIG. 1, whereat the teeth 53 will be axially removed from the teeth 35. In this position, the diaphragm 50 will have moved from its first position of stability, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to its second position of stability, as shown by the broken line representation of said diaphragm in FIG. 1, where it will remain until moved back into its first position of stability upon opening of the safety seal valve member as now to be described. If for any reason the safety seal valve just closes at the same time the screw cap seats tight against the flange 16 so that the teeth sets 53 and 35 do not disengage as described above, subsequent unthreading of the screw cap upon its removal will cause the inclined edges 54 of its triangular teeth 53 to ride up the inclined edges of the teeth 35 to flex the annular diaphragm 50 to its second position of stability as described above, the detent mechanism 24, 45 preventing movement of the rotary disc valve member 30 during this action.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, opening of the safety seal member is accomplished by inverting the screw cap 13 and engageing the key member teeth 56 with the spaced teeth 35 of the rotary disc valve member 30, and then turning the screw cap in the counter-clockwise or unscrewing direction for at least one-half turn. It is to be noted that the boss 38 seating in the recess 58 of the diaphragm 57 prevents interengagement of the teeth sets 56 and 35 unless the screw cap 13 is pushed forcefully down against the flange 16 against the resiliency of said diaphragm and the annular diaphragm 50. The diaphragm 50 will thus be moved back into its first position of stability, illustrated in FIG. 2, ready for closure of the safety seal valve member as hereinabove described. An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that a young child, if he succeeds in removing the screw cap from the container, will not have the knowledge or ability to execute the coordinated above described pushing and turning movements for opening the safety valve seal.

FIG. 10 illustrates a modification of the invention adapting it for use with open end, non-threaded cylindrical containers of the type commonly used in packaging medicinal pills and the like. In this embodiment, the upper end of the outer wall portion of the safety seal valve member 12a is integrally formed at its shoulder 16a with a reversely-extending, externally-threaded skirt portion 60 defining therewith an annular recess within which the open end of the container 61 is received and locked in place by the lip at the mouth of said container. The safety closure cap and its operation is the same as that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 9, described above, the cap member (not illustrated) being receivable on said threaded skirt portion.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the tubular outer wall portion of the cylindrical valve body member 14, being resilient, will flex, as illustrated in FIG. 1, to conform in tight fitting engagement with the internal walls of bottle necks varying over a wide range of diameter tolerance, without in the least affecting the diametrical shape or size of the inner wall portion 21 of said body member. The squeezing action of the bottle neck about the tubular outer wall portion 15, moreover, results in a bulge at the inner end of said outer wall portion where it joins with the annular wall portion 17, which serves to lock the valve body member 14 in place.

While I have illustrated and described herein only two forms in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that these forms are given by way of example only, and not in a limiting sense. My invention, in brief, comprises all the em bodiments and modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

1. In a safety closure cap for containers having an opening for dispensing container contents, the combination comprising, a valve body member adapted to be fitted in a container opening, a valve opening in said body member permitting the dispensing of the container contents, a rotary valve member movable selectively between covering and uncovering limit positions with respect to said valve opening, a separate cap member, means on said cap member and on said rotary valve member for their mutual interengagement for manual rotation of said rotary valve member from said uncovering to said covering position by means of said cap member, and means controlled upon said rotary valve member reaching said covering limit position for automatically disengaging said mutual interengagement means.

2. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 1 wherein said mutual interengagement means comprises a first set of teeth concentrically arranged on said rotary valve member, a key member, a second set of teeth circularly arranged on said key member, and means resiliently connecting said key member with said cap member and permitting movement of said key member be tween two positions of stability with respect to said cap member.

3. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 2 wherein said key member is tubular in shape, wherein said second set of teeth are formed in one end of said key member, and wherein said resiliently connecting means comprises a flexible, sinuous, annular dia phragm interjoining the peripheral outer wall of said key member with cap member.

4. In a safety closure cap for containers having an opening for dispensing container contents, the combination comprising, a cylindrical valve body member adapted to be fitted in a container opening, said valve body member comprising a tubular outer wall, a tubular inner wall concentrically arranged within said outer wall and interjoined at one end with one end of said outer wall, a transverse end wall formed at the other end of said inner wall and having a dispensing opening at one side, a rotary disc member rotatably seated fiat upon said end wall and having a disc opening in one side, means limiting the rotative movement of said rotary disc member selectively between a first position whereat said disc opening is in covering relation with respect to said dispensing opening, and a .second position whereat said disc opening is in uncovering relation with respect to said dispensing opening, a cap member, means on said cap member and on said rotary disc member for their mutual interengagement for manual rotation of said rotary disc member by use of said cap member from said uncovering to said covering positions, and means activated by said rotary disc member reaching said covering limit position for disengaging said mutual interengagement means.

5. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 4 wherein said mutual interengagement means comprises a first set of teeth concentrically arranged on said rotary disc member, a key member, a second set of teeth circularly arranged on said key member, and means resiliently connecting said key member with said cap member and permitting movement of said key member between two positions of stability with respect to said cap member.

6. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 5 wherein said key member is tubular in shape, wherein said second set of teeth are formed in one end of said key member, and wherein said resiliently connecting means comprises a flexible, sinuous, annular diaphragm interjoining the peripheral outer wall of said key member with said cap member.

7. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 6 including a third set of teeth for-med in the other end of said key member and engagalble with said first set of teeth, and resilient means resisting relative coaxial movement of said first and third teeth sets to their relatively interengaged positions.

8. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 7 wherein said resilient resisting means comprises a central, outwardly-extending abutment member on said transverse wall, and a resilient transverse diaphragm formed in said tubular key member, said abutment member being adapted to abut a central zone of said transverse diaphragm.

9. In a safety closure cap for containers having screwthreaded necks for a screw-on cap, the combination comprising a cylindrical valve body member adapted to be press-fitted in a bottle neck, said valve member comprising a tubular outer wall having an annular flange at one end adapted to seat against the mouth of the bottle neck, a tubular inner wall concentrically arranged within said outer wall, an annular connecting wall member integrally formed between the other end of said outer wall and one end of said inner wall, a transverse end wall formed at the other end of said inner wall and having a dispensin-g opening at one side, a rotary disc member rotatably sea-ted flat upon said end Wall and having a disc opening in one side, means limiting the rotative movement of said rotary disc member selectively between a first position whereat said disc opening is in covering relation with respect to said dispensing opening, and a second position whereat said disc opening is in uncovering relation with respect to said dispensing opening, a cap member, means on said cap member and on said rotary disc member for their mutual interengagement for manual rotation of said rotary disc member by use of said cap member from said uncovering to said covering positions, and means activated by said rotary disc member reaching said covering limit position for disengaging said mutual interengagement means.

10. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 9 wherein said cap member comprises an annular end wall portion and an internally-threaded skirt portion adapted to be screwed on the bottle neck to bring the inside-of said annular end wall portion into seating engagement upon said flange, a tubular key member, a flexible, sinuous annular diaphragm interjoining the peripheral out er Wall of said key member with the inner periphery of said annular end wall portion of said cap member, said mutual interengagement means comprising a first set of teeth concentrically arranged on said rotary disc member, a second set of teeth formed on one end of said key member, said flexible, sinuous annular diaphragm permitting axial movement of said key member between two positions of stability with respect to said end wall portion and said skirt portion of said cap member, said key member being of such length and so relatively positioned with respect to said skirt portion when in one of said positions of stability with respect thereto as to interengage said first and second sets of teeth when said cap member is screwed down upon a bottle neck, said limit positions of said rotary disc member being approximately 180 circular degrees apart.

11. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 10 wherein said first and second teeth sets are resilient so as to bend when said first set is forced beyond said closed limit position of said rotary disc member to impart an axial force component to said key member for moving it to the other of said positions of stability whereat said first and second teeth sets will be out of engagement.

12. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 11 including a third set of teeth formed in the other end of said key member and engagable with said first set of teeth, and resilient means resisting relative coaxial movement of said first and third teeth sets to their relatively interengaged positions.

13. A safety closure cap for containers as defined in claim 12 wherein said resilient resisting means comprises a central, outwardly-extending abutment member on said transverse wall, and a resilient transverse diaphragm formed in said tubular key member, said abutment member being adapted to abut a central zone of said transverse diaphragm.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. 

1. IN A SAFETY CLOSURE CAP OF CONTAINERS HAVING AN OPENING FOR DISPENSING CONTAINER CONTENTS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A VALVE BODY MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE FITTED IN A CONTAINER OPENING, A VALVE OPENING IN SAID BODY MEMBER PERMITTING THE DISPENSING OF THE CONTAINER CONTENTS, A ROTARY VALVE MEMBER MOVABLE SELECTIVELY BETWEEN COVERING AND UNCOVERING LIMIT POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO SAID VALVE OPENING, A SEPARATE CAP MEMBER, MEANS ON SAID CAP MEMBER AND ON SAID ROTARY VALVE MEMBER FOR 